F.E.A.R. 3 had a big presence at PAX East this year, and it didn’t take much to make the impact that it did. Day 1 Studios has given us a hands-on demo with the game on the show floor, allowing us to take on the “Fucking Run” multiplayer game mode.

You may be able to call “Fucking Run” F.E.A.R. 3‘s “Horde” or “Firefight” mode, similar to the competitive survival game modes featured in Gears of War 2, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. But “Fucking Run” is an entire new ballgame. It’s similar in the way players will be forced to fight for their lives against waves of enemies and compete to see who gets the most kills and scores the most points, but there is one huge twist. There is a giant wall of death — and it is chasing you. It won’t stop, and you need to fucking run away from it (thus the name of the mode). It’s actually not a physical wall, but in the form of a a giant rolling fog, complete with creepy faces embedded in the fog; it’s lets you know Alma (F.E.A.R. antagonist) has presence even in the multiplayer. The developers thought long and hard for such a fitting entity for the multiplayer mode. When it came to “Fucking Run,” Day 1 Studios wasn’t playing around.

The map I played took place in the streets of the city — it was dark and gloomy, had narrow streets and tight alleyways, and even rooftops were plentiful. You scurry out of a gate, running and gunning, taking down enemies in front of you whose goal is to impede your progress, all while moving as fast as you can to ensure that the wall of death doesn’t catch up to you. Even though this multiplayer mode was the first mode to be demoed, it was also the first time we were able to see the game running in front of us, let alone play it.

The game plays great, and the focus at first was to get used to the actual game, but once you’re comfortable, it is one hell of a shooter. The game can be slow, but it feels extremely smooth, and the gun play is done rather well. It’s satisfying, gratifying, and downright fun, like it should be. “Fucking Run” is one of the most satisfying and gratifying game modes there ever was in a shooting game, in my opinion. The pressure of having to cover your teammates, pushing forward, and take out enemy troops — all while making sure you’re not wasting any time at all — provides for one of the most fun, challenging, and hectic game experiences I have had in a while. Every millisecond counts in this mode; if you take even a few seconds too much time to take out some enemies or to push forward, that wall of death will get you and end the game. And if the wall gets even one of you, it’s game over for everyone. It’s a game mode that demands skill, teamwork, patience, and quick judgement. If it wasn’t for the already great looking story mode, including the cooperative campaign mode, “Fucking Run” sold me the second time I played it.

If you are in the area, and you have tickets to PAX East, head over to the Warner Brothers booth and check out “Fucking Run”. If you are not in the area, be sure to stick around for more coverage of the show, as well as video footage of “Fucking Run” in action here at Scrawl.